Issue twenty-four (December 2011) Gems for Enquiring Minds; a U3A Online email newsletter sent monthly to people in any country who like to keep their minds active. * Please send snippets of possible interest to the editor. * Feel free to copy with acknowledgment any of this information for your own newsletters. * GEMs Archive - pdf printouts of all prior editions www.u3aonline.org.au * Griffith University freely hosts U3A Online. GEMs in this Newsletter are the responsibility of the author and are not endorsed by Griffith University <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> o Happy holiday season to all RESEARCH GEMs (Aim: To provide you with readable information about the latest research that may help you to improve your quality-of-life) **Exercise GEMs o More Years to Life and Life to Years Through Increased Motivation for an Active Life http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101171042.htm o Physical Activity Impacts Overall Quality of Sleep http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122143354.htm **Diet GEMs o Health Risk from Eating Well-Done Meat May Be Underestimated http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101125945.htm o U.S. Population On Track to Getting Even Fatter http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116132920.htm o Eating Fish Can Reduce the Risk of Diabetes, Study Suggests http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095120.htm o More Power to the Cranberry: Study Shows Juice Better Than Extracts at Fighting Infections http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028103725.htm o Study Suggests New Benefits of Eating Nuts for Patients With Metabolic Syndrome http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095222.htm **Cognitive fitness GEMs o Memory Fitness Program Improves Memory Abilities of Oldest Adults http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829131310.htm FUN GEMs o Thanks David Wilson (Australia) for the following four GEMs * The kleptomaniac http://tinyurl.com/493r2dz * All you Louis Armstrong/Danny Kaye aficionados – how good is this? http://tinyurl.com/673hxb * Stats as you’ve never seen them before. Watch how the last 200 years come alive in this 4 minute video to show how development and longevity are linked http://tinyurl.com/2e9l6r4 * Get a job. Get a life. Sure it works but why would someone spend his/her intellectual talents programming this? http://tinyurl.com/25lrpsj

TECHNICAL GEMS o Thanks Bob Rankin for the following four GEMs * Get rid of the crapware. I just got a new laptop, and I want to remove all the non-essential programs that came preloaded and load the best freeware for everyday computing. http://tinyurl.com/7w2grws * What is Cloud-Based Antivirus and how effective is it? http://tinyurl.com/ccxofgy * Thinking about dropping your cable TV in favor of online TV and movie streaming? Options may not yet be available in your country but they’re coming quickly. This article will help with your mental “pump priming”. http://tinyurl.com/cmn2wyk * 10 Ways To Boost a WiFi Signal http://tinyurl.com/cv96f34 o Thanks Gizmo’s Best Freeware for the following four GEMs * Best pick for disk imaging software that ensures you can safely recover from a system crash or a bad virus infection without having to worry about reformatting and reinstalling the operating system. http://tinyurl.com/y4x9hd3 * The main purpose of Simplehelp.net is to help beginner-to-intermediate computer users learn how to do various things with their computers. http://www.simplehelp.net/ teaches a wide variety of topics to all levels, such as troubleshooting email, preventing spam and removing spyware. * This highly rated tool could be the ultimate safe computing environment http://tinyurl.com/bujz6j9 * Wedding anniversary, partner’s birthday, court appearance? Never Forget An Important Date Or Task With Future Dated Emails http://remind2.me/ o In a group of people, getting everyone to smile nicely, keep their eyes open or look at the camera at the same time can be a challenge. The bigger the group, the more likely someone is going to ruin the picture, so next time take a bunch of the same pictures and use Microsoft's Photo Fuse to create the perfect group shot! (ty Data Doctors) http://tinyurl.com/cspkv6m

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> o Please forward this copy of GEMs to interested friends and suggest they subscribe to this free monthly service. Use it with acknowledgement in your newsletters. We're open to all comers. o Yearly membership of U3A Online costs individuals only $25 and entitles them to free access to more than 40 high quality courses covering fields as diverse as history, science, religion and writing. There are forums in which to "meet" other like-minded learners. U3A Online is freely hosted by Griffith University. o Interested in online volunteering to help others via our virtual U3A? Contact [email protected] GEMs is edited and issued by Rick Swindell in Brisbane, Australia on behalf of U3A Online. Please note that this is an announcement list (contact Rick to subscribe). If you know of others who would like to be on this worldwide list, please ask them to email [email protected] and they will be added. Unsubscribe by clicking the link below. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>